Loading dock cover



Sept. 18, 1951 v, ESHNAUR 2,567,995

LOADING DOCK COVER Filed May 22, 1950 E y INVENTOR.

' Vance 0. fish/7mm v 5:5 BY 1/) HTTORNE Patented Sept. 18, 1951 Vance D. Efshnaur, Ka s s C ty... M ass g m: to; Canvas Products Company of Kansas City,

Kansas'City, Mo.

ApnlicatiQnMar 50 S,erial.N0.i1.63/',538.

flexible-material and provided with. means interconnecting the frames inthe form of extensible link ge. p itt n c ap sthe. ntire assembly to. an inoperative position, where, the. same is out of the way.

The most important, object of this invention is to, provide a loading dock cover, having, a pair on spaced apart, endless tubular frames, held in slibstantial alignment and for shiftablemove: ment; t ward d. om ach ther a p urality Qf: a. t n type f nka w ich rames have a strip of flexible material interconnecting the same o afi rd p otect on from. t e lementswh sam in. opera iv use.

Qther j cts of; this nvention nclu e he nav l suspension means for; ol in t e sam in eircums ri in re at o w th the. war h use do r Q11" the like; th man er n. w ch he a nresaid linka e holds. the frame opposite o. t e suspension; brackets in a levat d; perati e p sition througho t. hiftable path of. tr vel; and the manner of. protecting the; flexible material Q of enga ement, and thereby protected from by: the; said linkage.

. (other objects. will be. made clear durin the course of the following specification-L reference being; had. to; the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of a loading dock coyermadev in accordance with my present. invention, showing the same in operative position over a warehouse door.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional View taken on line II I-i of- Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 isa cross-sectional view taken on line I'II HI of Fig. 2.

Fig: 4- isa fragmentary, enlarged, detailed view of one of the suspension brackets. v

Fig. 5 is afragmentary, detailed view-showing the manner of mounting one end of the linkage; and

Fig. 6 is an end view of the linkage mounting means, illustrated in Fig. 5.

aims. (01. 1535-5) In, the. drawing, the numerals Ill and. Uremic-1 sent a pair of substantially identical frame eacl).v comprising an endless tubular member. These frames land 1.2 each constitute. an endlcs'sband',

' defining openings. that. are held. in. substantial alignment by a plurality of brackets broadl designated by the numeral H. These brackets M. are all substantially th sam nd, ther fcire.v only one needs. to. be desc ib A plurality of. links; it. are disposed in. relative crossed, relation pivotally mounted at their. points of intersection, as at. [8 and at each, end thereof as.v at 20 and. 22 respectively. Such construction is of the well.- known lazy tong type andv it. is. readily understood that as. one end, of such linkage, IA' is pushedv inwardly, the same. will collapse or shorten.

Qne of the links. 1.6; at each end. of the. linkage I4v is pivotally mounted, toframes. Ill and 12, as at 24 and 26 respectively.v while the other link at. each endthereof pivotally carries asleeve. 28'. These sleeves; 2.8 are free to. slide vertically on. a respective rod 30,. mounted on. each; of the. frames L0: and I2 respectively through the medium of brackets 3|. As frame I2 is. moved inwardly. therefore; and all the links. 1.6. caused to piyot at. points I8. 20, 22,24 and 26, sleeves. 2,8 are moved downwardlyv on, rod. 30, to permit, movesmer t of this. frame I2 to. a positionlying flatly against, the; innermost. frame In. Such construe: tionof these linkage assemblies l4 assures that the; frame I2 will be maintained in alignment. withthe opening formedby frame ill throughout its path, of travel. A strip... of flexible material broadly designated by the. numeral 32,, entirely eireumscribes both; of the frames Ill and l2v to create. a body extend n around. the. op n ng 56', and having one. marginal edge looped oyer frame l0, and stitched as, at 3.4... The opposite marginal edge ofstrip, 32, is. secured to. frame l2 by lac,- ms. .5-

It is notable by viewing. Figs. 1 and. 2;, that, thatportion. of. the flexible strip- (which. is. preferably formed from canvas. or the like). forming. the uppermost wall. 3,6 is, slightly longer than the side walls thereof to the end that. moisture will. be collected; to, run. along the. sides, of. the strip, 32 rather than. over the ends of frames l0 and 12.

Furthermore, when. moisture co lects. on the bQlJi m W 38,,. f rmed y he. canvas. .32.}, it. 5. fr e aflcw. ut. o an. penin 40'.- formed. therein. A plurality of corner braces 42 provide additional support and adds strength to the outermost frame I2.

A two-point suspension for the entire assembly is provided, which comprises a pair of brackets 44. These brackets comprise a plate 46, mounted directly upon the wall of warehouse 48 by a pair of bolts or the like 50. The other section of the brackets 44 comprises a hook-like member 52 held in position by a bolt 54 in screw-threaded engagement with the .frame 48. This hook 52 partially circumscribes a part of the uppermost section of the frame 18, as is clear in Fig. 4 and as bolt 54 is moved into place, this frame III will be held in clamping relation between member 46 and the hook 52. These brackets 44 are disposed directly above the door 55 of warehouse 48 and hold the frame 10 of the cover in circumscribing relation with this door 56.

In some forms of the dock cover, frame I and brackets 44 may be eliminated and the marginal edge of strip 32 adjacent to the warehouse 48, secured directly thereto; When frame is so eliminated, brackets 3! are secured to the wall of warehouse 48 to form a support for the entire assembly.

To protect the canvas 32 from injury by the linkage M as frame I2 is moved toward and from frame [9, there is provided a guard 50 for each lazy tong linkage 14. These guards M are in the form of rods or the like formed into a U-shaped body with the ends welded to frame 12 at points on each side respectively of rod 38 to which linkage I4 is secured. Thus, when frame 12 is moved toward or from frame 19, guards 50 will prevent canvas 32 from entering between the component parts of linkage l4 and thereby become damaged. Guards 58 are between canvas 32 and linkage l4 and the width of the guard, or the distance inwardly that it extends, is slightly less than the distance between frames 12 and II] when the same are as close together as linkage will permit when the dock cover is collapsed. In operation,'as a railway car 58 is moved upon its tracks 62 to a position where its door is in alignment with door 56 or warehouse 48, the frame I2 is moved to a position where the entire assembly is collapsed and out of the way to prevent accidental damage by movement of the railway car 58. A platform is then usually extended between door 56 or warehouse 48 and the door of the railway car 58 for facilitating removal of merchandise or loading the same and movement of the frame 12 to a position where the same is against the railway car 58, as illustrated in Fig. 2, entirely closes the space between warehouse 43 and car 58. The warehouseman is thereby protected and the merchandise he is handling is also prevented from being damaged by wind or rain.

It is notable that this loading dock cover is extremely light and easy to handle; extremely inexpensive to manufacture; easy to move to and from an inoperative position as desired and with a minimum amount of time lost; and a highly effective protection is afforded by its use. f' It is contemplated that modification in details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention or scope of the appended claims. I f Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A loading dock cover of the character described comprising a pair of open frames; means for securing one of the frames to a support such as a building wall; lazy tong linkage joining said frames to support and to allow rectilinear movement of the other frame toward and from the one frame wherein the latter is in an operative position secured to a building wall; a strip of canvas having its marginal edges secured to the frames respectively and bridging the distance between the frames throughout the path of movement of said other frame toward and from the said one frame; and a drain opening formed in the lowermost stretch of the strip of canvas.

2. A loading dock cover of the character described comprising a pair of open frames; means for securing one of the frames to a support such as a building wall; lazy tong linkage joining said frames to support and to allow rectilinear movement of the other frame toward and from the one frame wherein the latter is in an operative position secured to a building wall; a strip of canvas having its marginal edges secured to the frames respectively and bridging the distance between the frames throughout the path of movement of said other frame toward and from the said one frame; and a guard between the linkage and said canvas to prevent the latter from entering the linkage during movement of the other frame toward and from the said one frame.

3. A loading dock cover of the character described comprising a pair of open frames; means for securing one of the frames to a support such as a building wall; lazy tong linkage joining said frames to support and to allow rectilinear movement of the other frame toward and from the one frame wherein the latter is in an operative position secured to a building wall; a strip of canvas having its marginal edges secured to the frames respectively and bridging the distance between the frames throughout the path of movement of said other frame toward and from the said one frame; and a guard mounted on the said other frame between the said linkage and said canvas to prevent the latter from entering the linkage during movement of the said other frame toward and from the said one frame.

4. A loading dock cover of the character described and adapted for attachment to a building wall having an opening therein, an open frame; lazy-tong linkage supporting said frame for movement toward and from thewall in circumscribing relation with the said opening; a strip of canvas extending around the frame with one of its marginal edges secured to the same; means for securing the opposite marginal edge of the canvas to the wall; and a guard mounted on the frame between the linkage and said canvas, to prevent the latter from entering the linkage during movement of the frame toward and from-the building wall.

VANCE D. ESHNAUR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Noble et al. June 12, 1934 

